Best Cheap Homemade Gift Ideas that Don't Make Cheap Gifts?

It's the Thought That Counts But Why Not Make the Gift Awesome Too!

Best cheap homemade gift ideas??? That's one of the number one questions asked here at HomemadeGiftGuru.com...

Whether you're a struggling student, a grandparent with loads of
grandchildren, anyone blessed with too many friends to buy gifts for, or
even a mommy or daddy in need of a little something extra for the kids,
you're very much not alone.

Beyond all that... sometimes it's just fun to make inexpensive homemade gifts, like these lavender bottles
that can be whipped up in the summer for scenting rooms and linen
drawers. The lack of a price tag (some gifts cost literally pennies to
make) gives way to freedom to create and give just for the fun of it!

Cheap Homemade Gift Ideas For Fun and Frugal Gifts...

The homemade gift ideas below are all on the thrifty side! If you love saving money, you may also love my huge selection of free printables. In most cases, all you need is a printer and some paper to use these free resources.

Got Salt? Make up a batch of luxurious homemade bath salts
or other homemade bath and body goodies for a cute and cheap homemade
gift idea for your mother, daughter, friend or lover.

Take advantage of
ingredients from your kitchen such as salt and baking soda (they make
great bath powders) and use your garden for more savings. For example...
lavender and other flowers and herbs can be used to scent or simply to
decorate your homemade bath and body gifts...

Use fresh lavender to make simple lavender bottles, a flower craft that cost mere pennies.

Another nearly free cheap homemade gift idea... Find or buy some little clay pots and take advantage of plants that can be separated and shared!

Whether your garden is small or large, there's probably something you can use to create an inexpensive homemade gift...

Speaking of utilizing your garden goods... You can also use your garden herbs and edible flowers to make gourmet party foods
such as birthday cakes and a wide variety of pastries... a favorite of
mine are my Aunt's lemon birthday cakes with purple pansies. She uses
the pansies (an edible flower) to decorate her cakes inside and out!

Make a mix, bake something from scratch, put together a few spreads, dips or a even a special drink.

There are many delicious and cheap homemade gift ideas to make in the
kitchen... for example, if you get a candy thermometer (a very small
investment), you can even make easy homemade candy, such as truffles, fudge or perfect caramel popcorn.

Tips: Pair up two or more food gifts for a fancier present. Put them in a cute container (you can even make origami boxes) for even more visual appeal.

Cheap homemade gift ideas from the kitchen don't have to be edible,
they can simply be for play.

Kids and families are a great match for homemade craft
kits, containing homemade crafts mediums, such as finger paint or play dough...

Another fun craft kit using stuff from the kitchen is this sock bunny craft kit. It
uses rice, baby food jars and baby socks (you may have some little bitty socks packed away or you can get some at
thrift or dollar stores).

You can make a sock bunny craft kit for Easter but they could also be fun for other holidays, because bunnies are just that cute. You could also make a sock craft kit using other no-sew sock craft ideas.

Recycle and Rummage...

Some very cheap homemade gift
ideas are born from fixing up old, worn or boring items using a variety
of techniques such as painting, spray painting, decoupage, sanding and
embellishing with beads, paper, ribbon...

You can make a very simple decoupage frame
gift with no experience what-so-ever. For example, the frame to the
right was purchased at a local dollar store and given a fancier life
with a single piece of scrapbook paper, a very easy gift idea...

A frugal tip? Hold on to attractive images you might otherwise throw
away (for example decorative party napkins leftover from special
occasions can be used in a decoupage project... here's a napkin decoupage box for an idea).

Rather than buying decoupage paper, use wrapping paper, left over
party napkins, old calendars, post cards etc. for frugal collage gifts
and decoupage projects.

Tips to Save Money When Making Gifts...

Preparation. This may not always be possible but it can save
you money to prepare well ahead of Holidays and special occasions.
Waiting until the last minute usually means needing short cuts and
having to buy supplies from more expensive stores (since time restraints
don't allow for "shopping around.")

Many craft stores have amazing sales and coupons available but never
at the last minute when you need them - I know this from lot's of
experience! So whenever possible - stock up, get 'em while they're hot
and feel free to use this holiday calendar list or read about free reminders for help you get ahead of birthdays and holidays.

Quick Tip: If you find yourself putting something together at the last minute, don't hesitate to use my printable tags and gift tag templates to address your homemade gifts and more.

Shop After-Holiday Sales. Many items are available seasonally. Right after a holiday is the best time to get discounted stuff for next year.

Re-use and Re-purpose. Use stuff you have. Save pretty bottles,
shop dollar store deals (if you have one) and pick up tins and wooden
objects (stuff you can paint or decoupage) from thrift stores for
re-purposing.

More Tips & Cheap Homemade Gift Ideas:

Sew, Knit or Crochet. Fabric, yarn and thread can be used to make an endless array of creative and inexpensive homemade gifts.

Homemade blankets and quilts, for example, are timeless and still
widely popular homemade gifts, but there are also many other things you
can do with fabric, yarn and/or thread. For example, you can make totes,
rugs and more with old but shapely sweaters and clothing - definitely a
budget winner.

Don't forget to search your house for hidden treasure!
Believe it or not, stuff you don't want can make a great addition to
your supply list for future gift making. Check your closet, garage,
laundry room, pantry, cupboards and recycle bin. Some of my favorite
hidden treasures include:

Old spice containers

Baby food jars

Old vases from the 70s or beyond

Sauce, dressing and marinade jars

Pickle jars and other nice glass jars

Mason jars in all sizes

Used baskets

Old planters

Unwanted pitchers or canisters

Old frames of any kind

Old fabric, including stained or torn lace curtains, tablecloths or clothing that is still in good condition

Keep your eyes out for these types of "treasures" and save them all
year long. Saving stuff like this will make or break your day when
creating homemade gifts and they will most definitely reduce the cost of
any project.

More On...

Decoupage. Decoupage is fabulously cheap to do with endless possibilities. You can decoupage almost anything, using images from almost anywhere.

Decoupage is a skill that anyone can acquire, it takes very little
practice (you should be able to create something great even with your
first try) and has a very low "start-up" cost as well.

Craft Embellishing. There are many other ways to embellish an
item you find for cheap. Use a hot glue gun, cover it with fabric, use
beads, ribbon, buttons, sewing and more. The key is to find a great
"base" for your homemade gift, such as a cheap, unfinished wooden box.
Then turn it into a something special, beautiful or meaningful. Many
great cheap homemade gift ideas come from such embellishing.

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